So-called pod drives for ships are known. Such drives are propeller drive assemblies for steering and driving a ship, which comprise a streamlined pod, for instance, as the control housing, which can be rotated or swivelled about a vertical axis to steer the ship. The propeller drive assembly comprises a transmission which is coupled to an engine via a drive shaft. Both the transmission and the engine are disposed in the hull. The control housing comprising a propeller is located in the water, however, i.e., outside of the hull. In order to cool the common lubricant circuit in the transmission housing and in the control housing, an external heat exchanger disposed in the saltwater circuit of the engine, which also cools the engine coolant, is used in known propeller drive assemblies.
Furthermore, an outboard drive unit for a ship is known from published patent U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,434 B2. The outboard drive unit comprises an underwater housing in which two propeller shafts for driving two propellers are mounted. Each propeller shaft is driven in the underwater housing by a bevel gearing. The underwater housing is rigidly held, at an opening in the hull, for connection to a transmission housing. The transmission housing is disposed in the hull and is driven by a drive motor which is likewise disposed in the hull. A common oil reservoir is provided, outside of the two housings, for cooling the common oil circuit of the transmission housing and the underwater housing.
If the control housing of the known propeller drive assembly or the underwater housing of the known outboard drive unit are damaged in a collision, for example, such that leakage occurs, all of the oil may leak out of the common lubricant circuit into the water. This is particularly disadvantageous and absolutely must be avoided.